Flat-Earther To Launch Himself In Homemade Rocket To See Planet’s Shape

CBS Local — If you’re someone who has adopted the belief that the Earth is flat, how do you test your theory? A man in California plans to launch himself in a homemade rocket so he can get a better look at our pancake-shaped planet.

Mike Hughes, 61, has spent the last few years building his own steam-powered rocket out of whatever he could find. On Nov. 25, Hughes plans to test his homemade contraption for the first time in California’s Mojave Desert. There will be no room for error however, as the limo driver will be strapping himself into the rocket for its first flight.

“I don’t believe in science,” Hughes said, via AP News. “I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the air… But that’s not science, that’s just a formula. There’s no difference between science and science fiction.”

This isn’t even the 61-year-old’s first time propelling himself into the sky. In 2014, Hughes launched himself nearly 1,400 feet into the air while recording the trip on a GoPro camera. “It’s scary as hell, but none of us are getting out of this world alive. I like to do extraordinary things that no one else can do,” Hughes added.

The Californian’s $20,000 project has one major sponsor, Research Flat Earth. Hughes is also a flat Earth believer who says he hopes to build a larger rocket in the future which will take him into space so he can see the shape of the world with his own eyes.

The bewildering movement has gained momentum after notable celebrities and NBA players have come out to claim the world was flat. Rapper B.o.B actually started a GoFundMe page to pay for a satellite to observe the Earth’s shape. In two months, the rapper has raised less than $7,000 of his $1 million goal.